Programme Information

Future Problem Solving is a highly regarded and well-researched international educational program that develops creative, critical and caring thinking skills in students from Year 1 – Year 13. Students grapple with global and community issues, identify underlying problems and create positive solutions to those issues. Above all, it aims to give young people the skills to design and promote positive futures as citizens of the 21st Century.

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Thank you Hannah, for being such a great ambassador for FPSNZ.

Components of the Future Problem Solving Programme

There are three programme components in Future Problem Solving. In Global Issues Problem Solving and Community Problem Solving, students work in teams or as individuals and in Scenario Creation, they work as individuals.

Links to the New Zealand Curriculum

Future Problem Solving has close links to the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). It reflects the Principles of the NZC and in particular provides a vehicle for exploring the Future Focus Principle. See NZ Curriculum Update 15 for information about this principle. Students have the opportunity to both develop their own key competencies and to explore how other people develop and apply the key competencies whilst problem solving. Topics for Global Issues are deliberately selected across a range of learning areas, whilst Community Problem Solvers will develop skills and knowledge across the learning areas through authentic contexts. Teachers ('Coaches') will have the opportunity to apply the effective pedagogies as they facilitate 21st century collaborative learning.

“Future Problem Solving is of value to those considering entering the business/management worlds as it teaches them to be innovative in an ever-changing environment and to implement solutions having considered all the implications."